1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an elastic miniaturized hinge for a flexible temple element with an articulation trolley provided with at least a housing seat for a spring.
The invention, finds particular even if not exclusive application, in the field of the production of components for flexible temple elements, or so-called “flex-temples” for frames of glasses and in the metallic small items for related hinges.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
The temples of glasses frames, on their ends and at the opposite side with respect to the terminating ends thereof, are provided with associated elasticized hinges, which are each flexible temple elements called a “flex”. This flex or elastic hinge allows engagement with an elasticized function to that part of the front of the glasses, properly called a lug. The predominant turnover or extra-opening of the temple element's function, also called a “flex-temple”, is obtained on both sides of the glasses and creates the advantage of conferring a greater fit, resulting in more wearable glasses and more adaptable glasses to the different anatomical conformations of each person. Moreover, the present invention allows for an effective absorption action of accidental impacts, avoiding excessive stress on both of the otherwise utilizable hinges and the corresponding temples placed on the sides of the glasses.
Today, the most spread elastic hinges look substantially complex, requiring excessive sizes in the components, which collides with the present tendency to minimize the sizes themselves in order to make the frame of the glasses more charming, with lower visual impact and lower weight.
The now-mentioned circumstances have therefore induced the companies of the sector to reach to the implementation of elastic hinges, which tend toward an improvement in functionality, though being more reduced in size and aiming, at the same time, to reduce the components, facilitating their assembly, and reducing the costs.
The research of size reduction produced a series of size clearances and physiological conditions, such as rotation clearances of the temples in the opened or closed position, during the extra-opening movement, and vertical translation clearances of the temples in any working position of the glasses.
FR2702573 (Chevassus), describes an elastic hinge. A box is included in it, inside of which a tie-rod is axially movable, one end of which is hingeable to the lug of the glasses, and one opposite end of which ends with a perpendicular section to form a shoulder. In this way, a tie-rod is obtained, inside the box, provided with a longitudinal seat which houses a compression spring, one end of which is placed in abutment with said shoulder, while the opposite end, is arranged in abutment with a second striker, obtained at the end of a guiding rod coaxially introduced in said spring. The guiding rod, on the opposite side, is provided with a particular wedge-shaped head, intended to be butted in a corresponding receptacle obtained by a second portion, which is longitudinally developed and integral with the tie-rod. This portion is provided along one side with a spike which, being protruding towards the intrados of the box, during the assembly, engages in one corresponding seat, realizing a stable constraint between the tie-rod and the box in order to prevent the extraction of said tie-rod.
IT1288611 (Montagner), is an elastic hinge for glasses temples, essentially comprising a box, being associated, when finished, to the temple by means of a tacking and preassembly, inside of which two springs are housed. The springs, on one side with their ends, are in abutment to the bottom of the box, and on the other side, the springs are arranged in abutment to the end of a tie-rod, to which they are arranged one for each side. The shape of the tie-rod is substantially “T” shaped provided at the opposite end with a convenient hole, being hingeable to a corresponding lug provided on the frame of the glasses.
EP0679920 (OBE-Werk), provides three solutions for elastic hinges. A first one is characterized by the presence of a tie-rod coaxial to a spring, placed axially with respect to a box opened along one side, on the end of said tie-rod means being ensured acting as rabbet for an end of a compression-spring. The opposed end of the aforementioned spring engages at a shoulder obtained inside of the box, in such a way that, during the application of the tie-rod in the room of the same, the spring is submitted to a precompression and held in this condition. A second provision consists in the providing the monolithic realization of the tie-rod and with a “L” shape, which, in the intermediate position, holds the related spring during the assembling in the obtained housing and similarly holds the related spring in a precompression condition. Finally, a third tie-rod solution is recalled, always of the monolithic type. The latter, apart from the traditional flat head of the hinge, provided with a related hole, provides a body, having a quadrilateral section, or longitudinally protruding shank ending with a transverse portion. Some particular springs are obtained perpendicularly developing on the sides, that is along the sides of said shank, and integral with the same, said springs being obtained from a plate whose shape looks like an undulated sequence.
In US2006179609 (Huang), a hinge is described in which the trolley, sliding inside of the box, includes a tie-rod that is coaxial to the helicoidal compression spring, which at the rear end engages a bell-socket in whose seat the rear end of the compression-spring is housed.
The company Comotec, www.comotec.com proposes a hinge model called Optimum Flex, which suggests a box with a prolongation along one side to constitute a protrusion insinuated between the two walls of the lug joined to the front of the glasses. It looks like it is a device substantially conceived to avoid the torsional oscillations of the hinge in working conditions of the articulation.
It is therefore reasonable to consider known the elastic hinge that includes:                a box, along the temple or lug of the glasses;        a housing along the box containing the articulation trolley;        the articulation trolley, which includes at least one spring and is housed inside of the box, while the portion including the articulation exits from the front end of the box;        the articulation trolley including a bell-socket seat able to contain the rear end of the spring of the trolley, said seat being screwed at the end of the tie-rod body;        a corresponding lug seat, obtained on the front of the glasses, to which the articulation is hinged.        
The described solutions, particularly with reference to the overall length of the hinge, still look like they have generous sizes, requiring, still to be less visible, an additional container of the same.
Furthermore, corresponding to the articulation, the existing hinges can originate a series of clearances and slacks, being rotation clearances, e.g. in the opened or closed position, or during the extra-opening movement, as well as vertical translation clearances in any working position.
An aim of this invention is also to avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks.